The Nokia Lumia 800

The Nokia Lumia 800 is both interesting and notable. Notable because it was the first Nokia handset to use an updated version of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 operating system - known as Windows Phone 7.5 or "Mango" - and interesting because the Finnish company got a lot right from the get-go.
Well built with a distinctive design, the Lumia 800 is fun to use, packs in some impressive features and makes a convincing case for Windows Phone as a viable alternative to Apple iOS or Android. It is, simply put, a very good phone - one that we think deserves to be a success story for Microsoft.

Build and appearance

"You can’t accuse the Lumia 800 of not standing out"

You can’t accuse the Lumia 800 of not standing out. It sports a simple look - a 3.7in screen is housed securely in a very solid, curved one-piece chassis - and the effect is very striking. Although the Lumia 800 available in black, we think the blue and white models are the ones to go for, as the bright screen nestled in a solid mass of colour gives the handset an extremely distinctive appearance.
In short, we like it. Having said that, it’s clear that the design isn’t for everyone. Reaction to our Nokia blue model among family, friends and colleagues was divided, ranging from “that’s very pretty”, to more derisive suggestions that it “looks like a kid’s toy.”
One thing we can’t see anyone disagreeing with is how nice the phone is to hold. Its curved design means that it’s a particularly comfortable handset to use one-handed, and the bevelled screen is enjoyable to use.
The design’s not all good though. We hated the fact that the power socket is hidden under a flap. Being forced to fiddle with the flap every time you want to charge the phone is a faff, and quickly starts to irritate.

Interface

If you’ve ever used a Windows Phone 7 device before, you’ll know what to expect with the Nokia Lumia 800. Apps are displayed on the dashboard as a vertically scrolling grid of chunky tiles. You can add new apps to the list, and swipe to the right to see a full menu of everything on the phone.
It’s a system that takes a bit of getting used to - especially as tiles will flip to show information, such as the number of unread emails you have - but when you understand it, it’s impressively elegant. The large tiles mean it’s difficult to accidentally press the wrong thing, but we do find ourselves wishing you could fit more on the screen at once, as you can with Apple iOS and Android’s smaller icons.
Even so, there’s something to be said for an interface that’s willing to be different. Of course, the danger of being different is that you end up less popular than more conventional options.
And that’s the biggest problem with Windows Phone 7 - the lack of support it has from the development community. While the app store contains some useful stuff, there’s nowhere near the quantity of software available to iOS and Android users. It’s rare that the latest apps come to Windows Phone early - in many cases you’ll find yourself waiting months or years for apps to cross over from other platforms to the Microsoft realm.
Still, you’ll find most of the essential apps available now, so if having access to the next big thing isn’t important to you, the Nokia Lumia 800 has a lot to offer.

Multimedia machine

"Playback is crisp and balanced"

Not least of which are its decent multimedia capabilities. Video playback is nothing special, but it’s smooth and looks good on the Lumia 800’s screen.
Music fans are well-catered for, though. The Nokia phone offers an impressive audio experience - provided you listen with headphones. Without them, you’ll find the external speaker is too muffled and tinny to enjoy a track.
But cram some decent headphones into your ears and you’ll find playback is crisp and balanced. Nokia has thrown in a number of features that enhance the music experience. The Nokia Music app lets you browse and download tracks, but the real draw is MixRadio, which allows you to stream music for free, from a number of different channels. For example, the “New Releases” channel plays the latest chart hits. You can also download channels to listen offline.
Admittedly, MixRadio isn’t quite as good as other services like Spotify and Grooveshark, and only being able to skip six tracks an hour rankles, but it’s a nice freebie.
The Lumia 800’s also pretty good for games. There’s a decent range of titles available (although, again, nowhere near the number available on Android or iOS), most with demos and Xbox Live integration - meaning those who also have an Microsoft Xbox 360 can use the same profile on phone and console.

Features

  "Impressively easy-to-use navigation tool "

The Nokia Lumia 800 has some other worthwhile apps too. Nokia Drive is an impressively easy-to-use navigation tool easy-to-use navigation tool that makes it easy to plan journeys. You also get access to Nokia Maps, which is a decent map tool.
The mobile version of Microsoft Office is available too, which lets you open, edit and create Word and Excel files on the device and view PowerPoint presentations. If you use Office at work or home, having access through the phone is convenient.
Less convenient is Internet Explorer – the Lumia’s default web browser. We found some pages wouldn’t load at all, and some that did work wouldn’t display properly. The lack of Flash is also an irritation, albeit one that’s not unique to Windows Phone.

Camera

  "Showing off your snaps via social media is simple "

Another annoyance is the lack of a front-facing camera for video calls. If you want to be able to stare someone in the eye while you’re calling them, then this isn’t the phone for you. It’s an odd omission considering front cameras are seen by many as a bog-standard feature these days.
That said, the rear-mounted eight megapixel camera is capable of taking some great images, and showing off your snaps via email, text or social media is simple thanks to some well-designed sharing features built into the pictures app.

Verdict

The Nokia Lumia 800 has a distinctive look, feels well-built, and comes packed with genuinely interesting features. The battery life is reasonable too. With moderate use, we were able to get the best part of a day before we had to put it back on charge.
All said, there’s a lot to like about the handset – it is, to put it simply, a very good phone. If you’re looking for something a bit different to Apple iOS and the endless parade of Android phones, and you’re willing to take the plunge on Microsoft’s oft-neglected mobile operating system, you should be very happy with a Nokia Lumia 800.